Cochrane, Ontario

Many of our visitors have told us that this area was one of the highlights of their experience at the Habitat. Staring into the eyes of an immense polar bear, while swimming only inches away from him, is to be remembered! You can do that, because our wading pool is separated from the bears' pool by five centimetres (approximately two inches), shatterproof glass, with good optical qualities. Photographs make it appear that the swimmer is actually in the water, with the bear.

The "people pool" itself is thirty-six centimetres deep (three feet), and is heated to a comfortable twenty degrees Celsius (sixty-eight Fahrenheit) so that it can be used from late May to October, weather permitting. A word of caution: Bears do not spend their whole day swimming, and may not be available for a photo-shoot.